So Late
by CrimsonRae
Summary: He had been on time...Now he was sullen, aching and late. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So this is something that popped into my head after watching the show. It's a oneshot for now...may turn into a two shot. It depends, I'm working on two other stories at the moment and need to start posting on those again, but this was something fun. Please read, review and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own what is mine.

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><p><strong>...So Late<strong>

It's amazing how many thoughts a person can have in the span of a few seconds. Mike can remember all ten he had before he crashed his bike and was hit by a car. Not an experience he particularly wished to recall…or even have happen again, but as he lay sullen and aching in the back of an ambulance it was the only thing that would replay in his head as he tried not to think of how Harvey would react once he found out what happened. And he would find out, Mike had no doubt about that, the man seemed to have a six sense for whenever something went wrong in his associate's life…or more when he did something wrong.

Mike narrowed his eyes and shook his head as he dislodged the mental image of Harvey and went back to replaying the stupid incident. His first thought had stupidly been: _What!_

Honestly, he was sure that the word itself had played out on his face as he pedaled down forty-second street. He had heard the screeching of breaks and the blaring of a car horn behind him. Automatically, his head turned to see what all the fuss was about. It had been a mistake on his part to look, for all the time that he's lived in New York, road rage should no longer capture his attention. It was at the time of his momentary distraction that he failed to note the opening of the driver side door of a parked car not even ten feet in front of him.

_Oh shit! _

Had been his second thought as he had turned back around to see the protruding door and the leg of said door's owner. He hoped like hell he wouldn't barrel into anything because he knew he was going too fast to stop in time, but that didn't mean he hadn't tried. Oh…how he tried.

_This isn't going to end well._

Oddly enough that thought had actually sounded like Harvey as Mike frantically grasped for the brake and swerved. Really that should of have been the end of it had he been pedaling on the sidewalk and not on the street, but as it was things just got worse from there.

_Idiot! _

Was the next thought as he realized a second too late that he had swerved too far out into the street and the momentum of his sudden stop was going to send him flying from his seat. He still wasn't sure if the criticism had been directed at himself or the horrorstricken door owner – who could see what was about to happen and had sat uselessly in her car. Thanks so much.

His next four thoughts were…well not very nice…and he'll leave it at that.

It was strange to say, but at the time it felt like everything had moved in slow motion and at fast forward speeds all at once. He knew what was going to happen, only milliseconds before it did and still he hadn't been able to change a damn thing. His entire body had lurched to the right and into the spin of some very demented summersault. His stomach caught the right handlebar, sufficiently knocking the wind out of him as his leg jarred against the bike chain.

_I'm going to die._

The only saving grace from this whole episode was that traffic had momentarily been slowed by the event that had distracted him in the first place. So, as he was launched over the handlebars, the taxi that came to cushion part of his back had practically been parked as it waited for the car in front to move. He winced as he remembered the way his body had slammed onto the corner of the yellow hood and how his shoulder bag had smashed his side before he had rolled and hit the front bumper…in the same spot the handlebar had damaged before mercifully he landed on the street.

_I was actually on time, though._

Had been Mike's last thought as his head touched the ground and he realized he would be okay. It was seconds after this that concerned faces appeared in his purview and incessant questions were pitched forth. He idly recalled that he hadn't been able to breathe for a few minutes and had blacked out. When he had opened his eyes again a pair of paramedics was hovering over him. Yeah, he was so going to be late again.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ok so I didn't think I would post something to this so soon, but I kept coming back to it and before I knew it I had three pages written. It's more bromance towards the end. I would like to thank you guys for your enthusiastic response. I hope you enjoy part two. Please read, review and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own what is mine

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><p><strong>So Late...<strong>

It was safe to say that Harvey was not in a good mood. His day had not started out the greatest and only seemed to be getting progressively worse from his hot water heater breaking to losing out on a client to Louis…. Louis of all people! Nothing was going as planned. The man was fairly sure that he was going to kill someone by the time the day was over. He had his sights set on either Mike or Louis. Preferably Louis, but Mike seemed to be battling for that right with every minute that he didn't show up for work or answer his phone. That last bit had particularly shocked Harvey as his young associate seemed incapable of not answering the damn thing any other day of the week. He had already left three messages.

The first message he had left before Mike actually had the chance to be late. What could he say? The kid was predictable. That message had gone along the lines of: _You have ten minutes before you need to get here. Do not be late today. We have a lot of work to do and I'm not in the mood for your excuses. _Unfortunately, at that time Mike was in mid air and hadn't heard his phone. Not that he would have been able to answer it anyway. Harvey had simply shut off his phone and had walked into Pearson Hardman without another thought.

The second message had been left twenty minutes later. Mike had officially been ten minutes late. _Look, I know you usually schlep in here about fifteen minutes after we open, but my first message should have made it clear that your usual tardiness wasn't an option today. Get your ass moving. _Harvey really didn't think about the fact that Mike had missed this call. He figured that the younger man was on his bike and unable to answer. At least he better be on his bike and minutes away or else he was screwed. It was only a few minutes later that Harvey was called into conference with Jessica. A meeting that should have been strictly between the two of them but had somehow ended up including Louis. Pasty-faced bastard.

Forty-five minutes into the work day and Mike had yet to show or call. To say Harvey was annoyed was really like saying the sky was blue. A fact that was too obvious to need words. He was also a skosh concerned…not that he would admit it. His associate may be a little unmanageable at times, but he was never unreliable. The kid was as loyal as a St. Bernard. So it was with grumbling agitation that Harvey left his third message. _Where are you? Pick up your phone and stop avoiding me…You're in enough trouble as it is. _He had tacked on that last bit as an afterthought, though he really didn't think Mike need the extra incentive. His concern was steadily growing, however. He should have heard from him by now.

Unbeknownst to Harvey, Mike was currently staring at his phone. The kid mentally cursing as he slowly took in the cracked screen and face plate as the screen flickered on and off. The damn thing didn't even ring for Harvey's third call and the only reason Mike knew anything had happened was the appearance of a voicemail alert that appeared during one of the screen flickers. Oh, he was in trouble.

Harvey was debating leaving a fourth message as he looked over the briefs and bylaws for his latest case. He should have one of the other associates do this, but Greg annoyed him and he didn't want to become acquainted with any of the other minions, besides this was why he had hired Mike. Where the hell was he? His hand was already halfway to the phone when he saw Mike limping slightly toward his office. It was about damn time. He could see that the kid was already a little wary of entering, but what little color was in his face drained when he walked past Donna. He didn't know what his secretary had said to him, but the apprehension only deepened in Mike's eyes.

"You're over an hour late. Where were you?" Harvey's keen eyes were dark as he watched Mike fidget slightly. He silently took in the faint sheen of sweat that was illuminated on his associate's forehead and his stiff posturing. Something was wrong.

"I know, I'm sorry. I would have called but I broke my phone because I crashed my bike on my way in and had to double back for clean clothes." Mike wheezed out quickly as he avoided mentioning the hospital…he did go back to his apartment to change.

Harvey frowned, not liking the way the younger man sounded or the wince of pain he had tried to hold back whenever he shifted a little too much. At least he had an explanation to the missed phone calls, "Explains the limp…Are you okay to work?"

"Yeah fine." Mike blurted. In truth, it felt like his he had been stabbed by a burning knife every time he breathed in, but he wasn't about to let Harvey know that, "Just had the wind knocked out of me. It hurts to talk right now."

Harvey raised an incredulous brow, "You mean I don't have to listen to you whine? Maybe this day isn't a complete loss."

He smirked slightly at the indignant expression on his associate's face before he flipped the file on his desk closed and held it out, "Go over these and become as familiar with them as possible. We have a meeting with the owners of Morrison Insurance tomorrow. I need you sharp."

Mike nodded slightly and reached forwarded to grasp the file as he tried not to sway. It didn't work, but if Harvey noticed the obscure movement he didn't say anything. He did feel the older man's eyes on him as he walked out of the office, however.

Harvey didn't let up on his close scrutiny of his associate until he disappeared from sight. A nagging feeling in his gut was telling him that he was missing something…that Mike hadn't given him the full explanation. He scowled lightly before pulling another file open in front of him….

"Donna!" His eyes flickered up briefly to see if he had her attention, only to see her expectant but amused glance, "Find out if Mike came in on his bike or by a taxi."

Donna raised an eyebrow, "You don't think he crashed his bike this morning?"

"No, I do… I just want to know how bad of crash it was." Harvey answered casually before Donna also disappeared from his sight too.

He knew she would head to the security room to look instead of asking Mike. He hadn't missed the concern gazes she kept flashing his associate while he had been in the office and knew that she thought something was off too. If Mike took a taxi then the crash was worse than he was making it out to be. Just how worse was the question.

Ten minutes later Donna called his phone. She couldn't really see anything clearly from the security cameras, but from where she was standing in the lobby she couldn't see the bike. Harvey bit back a sigh as he thanked her and looked towards the door. His mind replayed the image of Mike walking through his door as he debated on what to do. The kid honestly didn't look that bad. He was pale which was worrisome but it was the way that Mike had swayed slightly…not just when he had been handed the file but whenever he had taken a deep breath.

Crap.

Harvey tossed his pen onto his desk and grabbed another folder under the guise of more work before heading for the associate's offices. He was just going to check on him…knowing how his luck was going the idiot was probably dying and didn't realize it. He rounded the corner and paused as he saw Louis hovering over Mike's cubicle like the vulture of death. Harvey grimaced at his own imagery before he focused his attention on Mike. The kid was beginning to look worse. One of his hands was white knuckling his desk and even from here Harvey could tell that his breathing had gotten shallow. He needed to get him away from Louis. Quickly, Harvey discarded the folder he'd been carrying onto one of the other associates with strict instructions to have it taken back to his office before turning back to Mike's cubicle.

"Mike." He held back a sympathetic wince at the way the kid's head drifted in his direction as he lifted his hand and gestured for the younger man to follow.

Mike forced a casual nod toward Louis before heaving himself from his chair and towards his boss. Harvey was giving him that look again. The one that said he knew something was up but was waiting for him to crack and spill. He hated that look.

Harvey turned on his heel as soon as Mike caught up to him, "What did Louis want?"

"He was just giving me a hard time about being late." Mike muttered as he felt his body throb with every step he took. The pain meds the paramedics had given him were beginning to wear off. He shot a cautious glance towards Harvey before continuing, "He was also gloating about some new client."

Harvey gave him a dry stare that told him not to continue. He'd rather not think of how Jessica had passed the client off to Louis. Instead he guided Mike into the men's room and locked the door behind him after he made sure they were alone.

Mike sent him a confused look, "I'm flashing back to every prison movie I've ever seen. Should I be worried about sexual harassment?"

"Yes, because you're just my type." Harvey quipped shoving his hands into his pockets, "How bad?"

"…What?"

"How badly are you hurt?" Harvey said slowly.

Mike rolled his eyes, "I told you I'm fine."

"Really? Is that why you look like you're about to pass out?"

Mike rolled his eyes and sighed, "It's just a few bruises. Nothing some ibuprofen and ice won't fix."

Harvey's eyebrows rose in disbelief, "Alright, let's go."

"Uh…where?"

Harvey held open the bathroom door, "Remember that time I said you should have been a fake doctor?...Well we're going to go see a real one."

Mike gaped; he had just managed to ditch the hospital. He didn't want to go back, "But…I just…"

"No excuses. Let's go."

And that was how twenty minutes later Harvey found himself inside a hospital having officially decided that Mike was going to be the one to die today. The two had only made it two steps inside to triage when one of the nurses made a comment about seeing Mike again so soon. He couldn't believe that Mike hadn't mentioned that he had been taken to the hospital. Though, he supposed it was mildly impressive that the kid still came into work.

"I told you that you shouldn't have left before the doctor fully examined you, honey." The nurse continue to lecture as she guided Mike over to a gurney before turning to Harvey, "This young man barely stayed long enough for the doctor to even glance at him before he was asking for his release papers."

Harvey felt a headache building, "And you let him have those papers?"

"Sweetheart, we can't force people to take treatment, but he did have to sign out A.M.A, against medical advice." The nurse explained as she pulled a gown out and handed it to Mike, "Change out of your clothes and put this on."

Harvey barely waited for the nurse to pull the privacy curtain over before slipping behind it to berate Mike, "You signed out A.M.A? You know for someone with a genius IQ, you make a lot of stupid decisions."

"I…don't like hospitals." Mike defended weakly as he pulled off his tie and began to undo his shirt, "I would have stayed if I had known you'd just bring me back."

Harvey shook his head, "No one likes hospitals, but if you're brought to one there's usually a good reason."

"Yes dad, thank you. I know." Mike grumbled as he pulled off his shirt and grabbed the hospital gown.

Harvey's eyes widen slightly as he caught sight of the_ just a few bruises_ that decorate the left side of Mike's lower chest and torso. There was no way in hell that Mike had just crashed his bike. It looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to him.

"What in the hell did you do?"

"Huh?" Mike looked up confused as he managed to slip on the gown before realizing that Harvey had watched him change, "It looks worse than it did earlier."

Harvey rolled his eyes, "I didn't ask how it looked. I asked what did you do."

"I told you I crashed my bike." Mike hated the fact that he sounded like a sullen five year old, but at that moment he felt like one as Harvey's eyes burned a hole into him.

"Did he tell you that he was hit by a car?" A new voice asked, joining them behind the curtain.

Harvey paused for a moment to take in the man that had entered. It only took seeing the white coat for him to know that this was the doctor that had barely had the chance to look at his associate earlier. His study was brief as the doctor's words finally penetrated his mind. A fucking car? His gaze darkened disapprovingly.

Mike spoke up before Harvey had the chance to lay into him, "Technically… I was the one who hit the car."

Harvey pursed his lips for a moment as he tried to stomp down the twist of concern that was inching through him before uttering one word tightly, "Explain."

For the next few minutes Mike unhappily explained everything that happened this morning. How he had been on time, how he had been distracted, the car door, and lastly how he landed on a taxi. He had hoped to end there, but one look at Harvey told him his explanation was far from over and he ended up going into his ten minute stay at the hospital before coming into the work.

"You still have the bike?" Harvey questioned lowly.

"Yeah, the girl who opened her door felt bad and said she'd take it to my apartment for me. It was there when I went home to change." Mike answered unsure what that had to do with anything.

The doctor who had been listening to the two go back and forth in silent amusement finally stepped forward to start his examination. Mike barely paid any attention to him as he watched Harvey pull out his phone and called Donna. He heard the words _get rid_ and _bike_ leave his boss's mouth causing his eyes to widen in alarm.

"You're not getting rid of my bike, Harvey."

"Well you're not riding it anytime soon." The older man said firmly barely pausing in his conversation with Donna, "You're also adding me to your emergency contact list so you can't pull stupid shit like this again."

Harvey watched in thinly veiled amusement as Mike was carted off by the doctor before he had the chance to say anything back. Yeah, this day hadn't gone the way he had planned at all.

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><p>Special thanks to: <strong>Shadow Cat17, a mystery reader, Leighta Greenleaf, Wednesday, Lilynette, Werewolf Girl 22, CheekyBrunette, katididnot, When Is This, namedone, fullmetaldevil, godsdaughter77 <strong>and** Seletua** for reviewing. I really appreciate it. : )


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